China's vendetta against Nato

Published: May 13, 2024, 3:42 p.m.

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Last week, President Xi Jinping visited Serbia. An unexpected destination, you might think, but in fact the links between Beijing and Belgrade go back decades. One event, in particular, has linked the two countries \\u2013 and became a seminal moment in how the Chinese remember their history.
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\\nIn 1999, the Chinese embassy in Belgrade was bombed by US-led Nato forces. Three Chinese nationals died. An accident, the Americans insisted, but few Chinese believed it then, and few do today. The event is still remembered in China, but now, little talked about in the West.
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\\nXi\\u2019s visit was timed to the 25th anniversary of the bombing itself. \\u2018The China-Serbia friendship, forged with the blood of our compatriots, will stay in the shared memory of the Chinese and Serbian peoples\\u2019, Xi wrote for a Serbian paper ahead of the visit.
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\\nSo what exactly happened that night in May, and what does the event \\u2013 and its aftermath \\u2013 tell us about Chinese nationalism today?
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\\nCindy Yu is joined by Peter Gries, Professor of Chinese Politics at Manchester University and author of numerous books on China, including China\\u2019s New Nationalism: Pride, Politics and Diplomacy.\\n
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